Thursday, April 7, 2016

Atlanta Braves begin final season at Turner Field this week

The Atlanta Braves began their 2016 season on Monday when
they played their Eastern Division rivals, the Washington Nationals, Monday
afternoon at Turner Field in Atlanta.

The Braves were scheduled to wrap up their season-opening
series against the Nats yesterday (Wednesday) and they’ll begin another at-home
series against the St. Louis Cardinals tomorrow (Friday). The Braves will go on
the road for the first time this season on Monday when they travel to
Washington, D.C. for a rematch series against the Nationals.

A review of Atlanta’s 25-man roster on Monday was somewhat
revealing and made me feel kind of old. Jason Grilli, a 39-year-old pitcher, is
the oldest player on the team, followed closely by catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who
is also 39, but seven weeks younger than Grilli. The youngest player on the
team is 23-year-old pitcher John Grant, who was born on Aug. 6, 1992.

I looked to see if there were any Atlanta players with
Alabama ties on this year’s team, but didn’t find any. However, there were a
number of players with ties to Georgia, Florida and Texas.

According to Atlanta’s Opening Day line-up, right-hander
Julio Teheran was set to start on the mound for the Braves. Pierzynski was
listed as the starting catcher, and Freddie Freeman was set to start at first
base. Jace Peterson started at second base, Erick Aybar started at shortstop,
and Adonis Garcis started at third. Starting outfielders included Hector
Olivera in left, Ender Inciarte in center and Nick Markakis in right.

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I think it’s also worth mentioning that this season will be
the last season that the Braves will play at Turner Field. Next season, they
will begin playing at SunTrust Park, which is actually located outside of
Atlanta in Cobb County, Ga. Right now, the Braves are scheduled to play their
final regular season game there on Oct. 2 against the Detroit Tigers. Of
course, if the Braves make the postseason, there’s a chance that they could play
a few more games at Turner Field.

I’ve been to more than a few Major League Baseball games
over the years, but I have actually never been to Turner Field to see the
Braves live and in person. The Braves started playing at Turner Field in 1997,
and the last Braves game I watched in Atlanta was prior to this when the Braves
played in the old Fulton County Stadium. That stadium was noteworthy for a
number of reasons, especially because it’s where Hank Aaron hit his
record-setting 715th home run.

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In news from the outdoor world this week comes a story about
a panther that was spotted in a residential neighborhood in Florida.

According to a recent edition of The Miami Herald newspaper,
a family in east Fort Myers, Fla. took a picture on March 18 of a large Florida
panther “lounging” on their front porch. The photo of this endangered cat was
forwarded to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. The family said they
were “shocked and amazed” by the cat, which was first spotted by a young child,
who pointed at the cat, thinking it was a “funny dog.”

I make mention of this because from time to time I hear
rumors of large cats being spotted in various locations around the county.
There are bound to be big cats out there in the bushes somewhere, and anyone
who sees one is encouraged to call me at The Courant to let me know.